MEDICAL ADVANCE

Paralyzed limbs. Twitching. Abnormal movements. These conditions often result from some spinal-cord injuries and strokes. Researchers at Dalhousie University think they have an answer: A drug called clonidine. Dr. Patricia Nance has found that the drug helps suppress spastic movements in the limbs of patients with spinal injuries. It is taken as a pill and starts working in the central nervous system quickly, helping to restore some feeling to paralyzed limbs, she said. Background: Clonidine has been used since the 1960s as a treatment for hypertension.